Challenges of preserving indigenous ecological knowledge through intergenerational transfer to youth
by Service Opare
Interdisciplinary Environmental Review (IER), Vol. 17, No. 3/4, 2016

Abstract: Indigenous communities have acquired significant ecological knowledge which is now gaining global recognition. This makes its preservation for the benefit of society essential. Preservation of indigenous knowledge has been pursued through cultural transmission processes which resulted in intergenerational knowledge transfer to youth. Using data from research conducted in two indigenous communities in Ghana, this paper examines key cultural transmission processes including socio-cultural functions that enabled young persons to interact with and thereby acquire ecological knowledge from elders and other knowledgeable persons. It identifies constraining variables such as limited youth focus on, and inadequate hands-on involvement in, traditional aspects of these functions as critical factors that might negatively affect long-term, sustainable use of acquired knowledge. The paper then examines possibilities of using prominent community members as role models for young persons and other measures for strengthening community interactive processes through which intergenerational knowledge transfer could be sustained.

Online publication date: Tue, 08-Nov-2016

The full text of this article is only available to individual subscribers or to users at subscribing institutions.

 
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.

Pay per view:
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.

Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the Interdisciplinary Environmental Review (IER):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:

Username:        Password:          Forgotten your password?

Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.

If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com